Wigan Athletic handed 'high' infrastructure rating

As part of an expert-led study into the investment potential of UK football teams in collaboration with football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson of Sheffield Hallam University, BetVictor has ranked all 24 of the sides in the Championship.

The infrastructure rating considers a range of important factors including stadium capacity, stadium condition, training facilities, youth facilities, youth recruitment, corporate facilities, and transport links to provide a single score for each club out of 100 based on the quality of a club’s overall infrastructure.

The ‘key insights’ were:

* Latics were among the top-rated Championship clubs for corporate facilities;

* Latics' perceived weakest area for infrastructure was youth recruitment;

* Latics were ranked as having one of the best stadiums in the division in terms of capacity, stadium age, and stadium condition;

* Latics ranked averagely for training facilities;

* Latics ranked below average for youth facilities.

The 'key insights' overall saw Middlesborough come in as the top-ranked club overall, ahead of second-placed Watford and third-placed Stoke City.

Boro, Watford, Blackburn Rovers, and Sheffield United were identified as the teams in the division with the best youth recruitment, which considers their scouting resource, current quality of their youth talent, and youth coaching team.

Huddersfield Town and Rotherham, on the other hand, were identified as having the poorest youth recruitment in the league.

Sunderland, Middlesbrough, and Watford were identified as having the best first-team training facilities, which considers the quality of coaching staff in addition the quality of their available facilities.

Blackpool, meanwhile, were identified as having the poorest training facilities of any side in the league.

Luton Town was the lowest ranked club for stadium condition and corporate facilities, with Kenilworth Road scoring poorly in these categories.

Further details about the full study here

Another recent survey saw Latics ranked as the second most ‘investable’ Championship club.

Coventry came top of that list, with Luton in third.

The report claimed, with a strong fanbase, Latics ‘could see a return to success with the right investments’.